Happiest
by sydneythecat
Summary: "Luce… she's good with words, and so…" Natsu murmured quietly to the sickly feline beneath sheets as blue as his fur. Happy's tired eyes widened with interest, and Natsu felt his own prick with the burn of tears. His demeanor was somber, but resigned. There was nothing he could do for his health, but there was a lifetime of stories he could tell for his heart. / AU, One-shot dump.
1. Chapter 1

Summary:

_"Luce… she's good with words, and so…" Natsu murmured quietly to the sickly feline beneath sheets as blue as his fur. Happy's tired eyes widened with interest, and Natsu felt his own prick with the burn of tears. His demeanor was somber, but resigned. There was nothing he could do for his health, but there was a lifetime of stories he could tell for his heart. Natsu unveiled the small, leather-bound tome and opened it to the first page._

* * *

_Moment One:_

This Might Give Me Rabies But I Do Not Care

"Wow! Good job, Happy!" A fourteen-year old Natsu grinned down at the cat, his face a mixture of surprise, genuine amusement, and only slight disgust. Okay, no disgust at all. The fire dragon slayer's exuberant blue buddy was smiling the most outrageously wide smile he had ever seen and how on Earth could he be disgusted by the pride and accomplishment bathing his friend's face?

"I caughd id, Naffu!" Happy spoke, his words muffled around the carcass in his jaw's clench.

The dead mouse, dripping entrails hanging from its still-bleeding, ripped-open stomach, was being squished and mangled between a very excited Happy's teeth.

Natsu looked at his small friend with wide eyes as he nodded to show his approval. His buddy had a knack for hunting! He couldn't fish to save his life, but chasing down tiny, scurrying rodents was a forte´ of his. Sometimes, Natsu watched Happy as he stalked his prey. The cobalt cat was pretty clumsy the majority of the time, but with his ears flattened to his skull like a protective helmet and his feet dancing lithely and silently beneath him as he trailed an unsuspecting field mouse or sparrow, Natsu fancied him a compact killing machine with all the grace of a skilled samurai. The fire mage was always sure to keep his eyes glued to Happy as soon as he saw the infinitesimal sway of his back haunches. That meant he was seconds away from an attack. It happened so quickly; even Natsu had trouble keeping up with the movement of the attack. One second Happy was readying himself, pulling all the energy in his body to the very back of his frame, loading his legs with power like two springs. When those springs were begging to be sprung, he would launch, soaring through the air, a flash of blue fur and green knapsack, to land and snatch his victim from the ground with his razor sharp incisors. Happy was a merciful hunter every time, and would quickly end the life of his prey before they could become too terrified with a swift snap of the neck. Soon after its movements halted and it succumbed to lifelessness, Happy would allow his primal instincts to reign supreme and maul his kill in a fit of hungry, excited, and almost dominant celebration.

Natsu was still grinning at him in admiration when Happy said something quite unusual.

"Iffor you, Naffu." With that, he dropped the mouse on the ground in front of his best friend since birth, smiled an enormous, blood soaked smile, and flew off toward the field beside their house for what Natsu could only presume was round two.

He stood there in shock. Happy never shared his spoils. Not his hunting spoils, at least. Sure, he'd share meals and fish and drinks when they were out on a mission or in the guild. But the cat had an intense amount of pride locked up in his hunting skills and relished in his victories alone, taking every bit of meat and bone his kills had to offer for himself. What could have possessed him to suddenly develop a sense of generosity in regards to his trophies?

Natsu pondered this interesting turn of events for several minutes, as he was thickheaded and things often took time to really sink in.

Gestures. He never quite understood gestures. A lot of the time, he'd take too long to get it, and whomever had bestowed an act of kindness upon him would do one of two things: smile and leave him to his own thoughts until he figured it out, or pummel him until he understood what had just transpired. If it were Lisanna, the former would occur. If it were Erza, or Mira… Well, a little more than the latter would happen.

As he bent down to pick up the mouse, realization hit him smack in the noggin. With a smile and a slight shake of his head, he grasped his best friend's kill and walked directly to the kitchen to wash it and clean it for meat.

It was small, and it was mean. It had probably burrowed into its own dung at some point and at the moment it smelled like a mixture of that and dying blood. Its fur was matted, one eye hanging out of the socket and one ear ripped completely off. Happy had gone to town… or was, at least, on his way there. But something stopped him in the midst of his feral bloodlust. He thought of Natsu, and how they hadn't earned enough money this month to afford much food. He thought of his best friend.

It was small, and it was mean. But it was a trophy of hope and provision. It was a show of concern for one whom Happy cared. It was an attempt to give back to the person who had given the feline shelter, a guild, and a father. It was a gift…

"Thanks, little buddy."

…a gift of love.

* * *

Happy gazed at the ceiling, the small smile on his lips contrasting heavily with the tears spilling through the fur on his face.

"How did she know, Natsu?"

Natsu smiled to himself, his own tears dripping from the hard edge of his jawline. "I... I've been telling stories about us, buddy." He chuckled softly to himself, looking at the blue cat who seemed so small in such a large expanse of bed. At least, he told himself it was the bed, and not the frailty and failure of Happy's body that made him so small.

"She said I was getting nostalgic or something and said it was good to keep going." He left out the part where he asked Lucy what "nostalgic" meant. "So I've been telling her about all the good times we've had... And the other day she gave me this book, and told me that I should read it with you, because you'd like it and it would make you feel better, but I don't have to if you don't want me to, I know you're tired and-"

"Keep going."

Happy's scratchy voice broke through Natsu's rambling, and the dragon slayer was caught by surprise.

"You sure, buddy?"

Suddenly, Happy's aura shifted. He seemed years and years younger. The excitement that used to send him zooming through the air of the guild hall was shining on his face, and he _laughed._

"Read me the next one, Natsu."

The blessed sound of his best friend's laughter had spurred the happiest feeling within his soul, and he would be damned if he denied the sweet cat this request. Natsu gave Happy one more look, and then picked the book back up from its resting place on the bedside table, and opened it up to the next chapter.

"Moment Two:..." He began, and Happy laid his head back down on his pillow, ears perked and tail swishing. Lucy sure could tell a story. But Happy and Natsu, they sure could live. He couldn't wait to relive it all again through Lucy's eloquent words. And this was only the beginning! "...Maybe You Shouldn't Dance In Front of Anyone, Ever."


	2. Chapter 2

_Moment Two:_

Maybe You Shouldn't Dance In Front of Anyone, Ever

_"THE COLLAR IS TOO CLOSE TO MY NECK,"_ Natsu howled, tugging at the offending strap of fabric. Happy zoomed forward to rip his hands away from it, fearing the fire mage might tear it to shreds. Natsu was no good with formal wear. He was even worse when it came to patience, and it would take an immense amount of that to get through this night.

Natsu Dragneel was dressed to the nines: the uncomfortable, itchy, _infuriating_ nines. He was sporting a tailored black vest, which buttoned snugly over the crisp, white shirt – with the collar that he was currently trying to eradicate from existence – that tucked into clean black slacks. A pair of patent black dress shoes adorned his feet, and he kept bouncing back on his heels and trying to bend his toes. It was the same result every time: the stiff things wouldn't give at all, and he found himself becoming more and more frustrated with how constricting this evening's get-up was proving to be. It almost seemed like with every move the outfit tightened up more, squeezing the ever-loving life out of his lungs. For someone who was essentially naked - save for a pair of billowing, roomy pants - most of the time, this was intolerable torture.

But with a sigh of defeat, he resigned himself to his fate. Normally, he wouldn't give up so easily in a battle (and this WAS a battle), however, Lucy had come to see him before she went off to get ready and had said that he looked very nice. He thought he could even see a little blush on her cheeks. With that image in his head, he smiled and turned around to face his little blue friend.

His contentment was short lived.

Happy was wearing his usual green knapsack._ And that was literally all._ His body was free to move as it pleased, neither trapped by too-tight fabrics nor smushed inside bone-squishing shoes. He was just free and out in the open, comfortable in his routine appearance.

Natsu was so jealous he could spit lava.

"Why do you get to dress like that?" He mumbled under his breath, too low for the little feline to hear.

As Natsu began to walk back over to the sink to wash up before they left, Happy grabbed him by the pant leg. "Hey! Hey, Natsu, watch this!" Happy sounded about to shoot off to the moon judging by the excitement in his voice. Natsu was still seething with jealousy as he turned back to see what all the fuss was about.

The cat stood there for a moment, poised to jump in the air from the looks of it, with a large, goofy grin plastered on his kitten mouth. After making sure he had his friend's complete and total attention, he started to… dance, if it could be called that.

His body twisted around in strange movements, feet coming up to meet his hands on occasion as he twirled about. At one point in the wild flailing, his head bent back completely and nearly kissed the floor while his feet still touched the ground, and he formed a sideways "c" with his body. His ears were flapping to a beat that Natsu couldn't hear, and his tail swished aggressively as if he was smacking flies out of the air with it. His tiny booty was wiggling erratically, not keeping time with whatever time his ears were keeping. It was so strange. He bent back up into a standing position, and with a final swivel of his kitty hips, he jumped up and threw his arms out beside him, paws open wide as if to say, "TA-DA!"

Once he straightened himself up, he looked at Natsu. Dusting off his hands, the confident cat smiled brightly and chirped, "So, what do you think?" Happy giggled a little and shyly added, "Do you think Carla will like it..?"

Natsu proceeded to say something that would come back to haunt him forever. His best friend had prepared a dance of sorts to impress the girl he liked. He was excited, proud, and looking for a little approval from his father figure. It was an innocent thing and he should've been hugged and squeezed and congratulated on coming up with such a unique thing.

But all Natsu could see was how Happy was able to wear whatever he wanted, and move however he wanted, and not have to do what he had to do and hated to do.

So instead of smiling and laughing and jubilantly replying, "Yeah, buddy, she'll love it!" a stupidly jealous Natsu said, "Maybe you shouldn't dance in front of anyone, ever."

There was a beat of complete silence, and then, like a dam breaking, sad and sudden, Happy's ears drooped and tears burst from his big, childish eyes. He wailed and ran out of the house, leaving Natsu Thick-Headed-Jealous-Brat Dragneel to stand there in stubborn solitude.

He huffed and put his hands on his hips. "Come on," he mumbled exasperatedly._ "It was just a joke!"_ He called out to no one. He was left alone with his misgivings. "Tch!"

Natsu distracted himself from Happy's distraught exit by gathering up everything he needed for the night. He and his team were supposed to stop some criminal from stealing some ring from some rich girl who had some rich, weird father who was trying to marry her off to some other rich, weird guy. Or something.

He would need.. no, not that knife. Too conspicuous. He preferred his fists, anyway. Not the rope either. Erza would tie the robber up with something – she always came prepared with her enormous carriage of belongings, anyway. Not that waxy leaf, not that wooden club, not that frying pan… not.. his scarf!

He needed his scarf!

Warren had suggested to maybe leave it at home, since this was supposed to be such a formal event, and after Natsu had protested, Warren had even gone to such lengths as to hide it. Erza had agreed with him and refused to help Natsu search for it. Lucy was already gone and getting ready, but Natsu knew she'd stick up for him if she were there. That scarf meant a lot to him, and besides, if he had to wear this stinkin' costume all night, he should at least be allowed ONE simple comfort!

So he frantically ransacked the house, turning it upside down in the search for his precious scarf. It was only after he was slumped on the floor, having made a gigantic mess of things, that he realized he could simply sniff it out.

He breathed in the smells of his own home, sifting through each one to find the most recognizable scent. Igneel's scales.

He found it in an instant, and leaped forward in the direction of its hiding place. Only, it wasn't hidden.

It was folded neatly where it lay on his hammock, the one place he hadn't bothered to look while tearing the house apart. On top of it was a small scrap of parchment paper, with only one thing on it.

A tiny paw print.

In quiet awe, he picked both the scarf and the scrap of paper up. He wrapped his beloved scarf around his neck, nice and loose, and clutched the paper in his hands as he ran out the door to find his best friend.

He had been so stupid. So irrevocably, undeniably stupid. Happy wasn't even supposed to be out on the dance floor, so of course he wouldn't need to be dressed as Natsu was. He was scouting and doing recon. He had been told that he wouldn't be allowed on the dance floor at all, for that matter. He had his job and it needed doing. And yet… he had still prepared a little something for Carla. He had taken the time to blindly hope that Erza would turn the other cheek, and he would be able to cut a rug in front of his crush. His hopes were up so high, and Natsu had crushed them with a simple sentence. What was wrong with him?! So he had to be uncomfortable for a couple hours, who cares? He shouldn't have invested so much emotionally in that simple, stupid annoyance. Happy had seen how upset the dragon slayer was becoming with his situation, and sought to help him in whatever way he could. He must have known where Warren had hidden Igneel's scarf and taken it back for his best friend. He must have known how Natsu would, at the very least, want that one familiarity.

And Natsu had done the worst of things to repay Happy's kindness.

He had been so stupid. So insanely, unforgivably stupid.

His legs carried him swiftly across the ground, lithely jumping over logs and rocks as he lifted his face to the sky and breathed deeply to search for Happy's telltale scent. He ran and ran, breathing as deeply as he could, all the while somehow remembering not to get mud or dirt on his suit. Erza, and probably Lucy as well, would kill him to death for a single stain. Suddenly, he caught onto his buddy's smell and lurched in its direction. Soon enough, he came upon Happy, who was sitting in a rather morose posture atop a log beside a little pond they would swim in occasionally.

Natsu gulped, and took a step forward. He knew what he had to do.

He bent over and picked up a small pebble from the ground, and tossed it (at what he thought was a gentle speed) at Happy's back to get his attention. The cat jerked in surprise, and turned around to see who had thrown the small bullet of a rock. His mouth dropped open in surprise and his eyes grew as big as his own head at the sight before him.

Natsu was… dancing, if it could be called that.

His hips rocked from side to side as his arms cut through the air above him, in a windmill type move. He kicked his feet into the air and threw his head forward, as if he were going to kiss his toes, and then landed back down on one foot, while grabbing the other and hoisting it to shoulder-level as he hopped in a circle. His head bent backward, and his torso followed while his feet remained firmly planted on the ground, and just before his head could find its goal and his body could form the "c" that Happy had earlier, he lost his balance and fell flat on his butt with a loud, "OOF!"

He grimaced, and rubbed his sore head and back when he sat up, when he finally heard what he had been listening for.

Happy was trying his best to stifle his laughter, his two small paws clamped over his lips. His cheeks were puffed out and it was with great effort that he somehow kept tears of amusement from spilling onto his cheeks.

Natsu smiled a bit, and moved to get up, only to slip and fall right back down again.

This time, his blue buddy's laughter was unbridled and infectious. Natsu began to laugh along, Laying down on the ground and clutching his stomach as he rolled over in hysterics. Happy had stood up and was walking over to him, occasionally stopping to crouch and put his hands on his thighs for support as the powerful guffaws rocked his tiny form. And then he was beside Natsu, crawling onto his chest and wrapping his little arms around him. Natsu's own arms encircled the feline, and they lay like that and continued to chuckle for a few precious moments.

Repentance and forgiveness were beautiful things, and the two reveled in the glow of their friendship.

Suddenly, Natsu's eyes shot open. "Oh, man…" He muttered, and twisted his head around to see, yes, he had in fact gotten dirt all over the back of his vest, shirt, and pants. Not to mention the dirt that was crusting itself against his pink locks, which he had also groomed for the occasion. "I'm gonna die."

It was true. Erza and Lucy were going to kill him to death.

The cat resting on his chest snickered, and patted him on the cheek. "It's okay, we'll clean it off somehow," Happy said.

With that, Natsu rose to his feet, not once letting go of the cat in his arms. He dusted his back off and started walking back toward their house so they could save his ridiculous clothes from staining too badly. As they walked, Happy reached up and put one paw against Natsu's forehead.

"Natsu?"

"Yeah, buddy?"

Happy grinned and his tail swished mischievously behind him.

"Maybe you shouldn't dance in front of anyone, ever."

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry this is so late. I'm running late on Demon's Requiem as well, actually. Summer has just begun and things are busy, what with work and and intense amount of being social. Having friends is exhausting. I'm an introvert, I'm not used to these shenanigans.

Anyway, here's an update! And also, I just wanted to explain why I'm writing this... My cat, which I had in my life longer than I had not, (17 of the 22 years I've been alive, to be exact) had to be put to sleep due to a brain tumor. It was inoperable, not because they couldn't do it, but because his quality of life would've been severely unpleasant if they had done it and I would not let them do that to him. To some, it may just be a cat. But to me, who was bullied, introverted, and creative to a fault and seen as the weird kid who wrote weird things and drew scary stuff, that cat was a friend when I had none. He was the one I told my secrets to when no one else would give me the time of day. He was the one who did not judge me after a day full of being judged ruthlessly by my peers.

I wrote the first chapter before he was put to sleep, but after making the decision to do so. I wrote it to sort out the feelings I was holding inside, and as a sort of therapeutic activity. Until two days ago, I had given up on this story, but something inside me this morning told me to keep going. Losing a friend you've had for 17 years is not easy, and you don't get over it in just a couple weeks. So, that's why this story is being written. I lost my best friend.

Long live the secret keeper. I dedicate this story to you: the only feline I have ever known to play fetch, to enjoy baths, and to love me unconditionally. Rest in peace.

Having said that, I'm not looking for constructive criticism with this story. It's just something I'm writing to ease the pain, and to remember a friend.

Thank you again for reading and reviewing, I appreciate it so much.


End file.
